1. Entering by the North Porch.
St Edmund’s is a large grade II listed building consecrated in 1909.
In the later years of the 19th century the area west of Roundhay Park from Oakwood to Street Lane was being developed residentially but there were no places of worship and for members of the Church of England their parish church was St John the Evangelist at Moor Allerton 2 miles away.
Three residents sought to provide an Anglican church to support the growing community. The circumstances were unusual. As a general rule Anglican churches are "planted" where ecclesiastical authority sees a requirement but in the case of Roundhay it was local people who felt the need and took the initiative.
Mr Carby Hall was chosen as the architect. W Carby Hall was a designer of houses and shopping parades and St Edmund’s was the only church he designed. The church was planned on a grand scale with rich furnishings and stained glass. It has a wider than usual nave with comparatively narrow aisles. All the seats are in the nave affording optimum sight-lines for the congregation. It is of an unusual construction being of reinforced concrete with a stone facing.
Many people who come into the church remark on how impressive the building is. Internally the church is 159 feet long from the baptistry wall to the east window, 75 feet wide in the transepts and 54 feet wide in the nave. The peak of the timber vaulting is 48 feet above the floor in the nave and 28 feet in the chancel.